Gloucester County Dealing With Recent Spike In Hepatitis A Cases

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WOODBURY, N.J. (CBS) -- Gloucester County is offering free Hepatitis A vaccines to those without health insurance after a recent spike in cases.

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The Gloucester County Department of Health says there have been eight reported Hepatitis A cases in the last nine weeks. The health department usually only sees less than 10 cases a year.

The health department says the cases are not connected. They are urging residents to get vaccinated against the disease and offering free vaccinations for those without insurance.

The disease is usually spread when a person unknowingly ingests the virus from objects, food or drinks that are contaminated by small and undetected amounts of stool from an infected person. Hepatitis A can also spread from close personal contact with an infected person through sex or caring for someone who is sick.

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Those with the highest risk of contracting the disease include homeless people, people who use injected or non-injected street drugs, and men who have sex with other men, the department says.

Hepatitis A symptoms include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, diarrhea, clay-colored stools, and jaundice.

For more information, call the Gloucester County Department of Health at 856-218-4101 or click here to visit their website.